Machine for bending wood



2/ M A H G N I K 0 U 4 Machine for Bend-ing Wood. No. 236,980.

Patented Jan. 25,1881.

- [IN/61810]? @F W N.PETEIS, MUTHOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON. D. C. V

(Modem 7 I 2S'heets S h eet 2.

E. LFBUCK INGHAM.

Machine for Bending Wood. No. 236,9 80. J Pafehte-dla n. 25,1881.

f m/ fQzw N- PETEIS, PNOTWLITHYQGRAPH-ER. WASHINGTON. D C.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD L. BUGKINGHAM, OF JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN.

MACHINE FOR BENDING WOOD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,980, dated January 25, 1881.

Application filed December 10, 1880. (Model) To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD L. BUcKINe- HAM, of Jefferson, in the county of Jefierson and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Bending Wood; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for bending wood.

It consists in the peculiar construction of the lever, as will be more fully described hereinafter, whereby it can be used in connection with bands having either loops on their ends or flat plates having outwardly-bent ends, and used to apply an end-pressure upon the piece of wood being bent.

It furthermore consists in holding the piece A of wood after it has .been bent in position by means of a rod which extends across the top of the wood and has set-screws passed through it into the wood, or is secured to the wood by any suitable devices, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to attach long levers directly to the bands which bear against the outer side of the piece of wood that is being bent, and enable .an end-pressure to be applied to the Wood at the same time that a great leverage is obtained, and thus enabling the ends of the piece of wood to be drawn readily and quickly into position, where it is then secured, not only by means of keepers which are connected to the former, but by a rod which extends across the top and ends of the former and the bent piece of wood.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a machine which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 shows the lever ready to be applied to a band having a loop secured to its end. Fig. 3 shows the lever as applied when bending the end of the wood almost into a circle.

A represents a suitable former, made of wood or metal, and which has a groove, B, out across its top at any suitable point, and which has a hole, 0, made through it neareach end. By means of these holes the former can be placed upon a table or other suitable support and catch over two projections which enter the holes, and thus the former is held rigidly in position while the piece of wood is being bent. As soon as the piece of wood is bent and secured in that position it can be r moved and another one readily put in its place. Secured to this former in opposite sides of the notch or recess B are the two metallic bands E, which extend in opposite directions, and which bear against the outer sides of the piece of wood that is being bent, for the purpose of pressing the wood tightly against the former. In order to enable the operator to manage and control these bands, and at the same time to obtain a more perfect control over the piece of wood that is being bent, a lever is used, and which lever is made entirely separate and distinct from the band. This lever consists of the hollow internally screw-threaded handle G, which has the part-H swiveled upon theinner end. The hook I, which passes through both ends of this part H, has a screw-thread formed upon its inner end, so that it can be drawn in or forced outward, according to the use to which it is to be applied. As the part H is swiveled upon the end of the handle the handle can be freely turned, for the purpose of operating the book without turning either the hook or the part H around. The outer end ofthe part H is turned at right angles to the length of the hook, and has the grooves or flutes JL made in it, as shown.

When the band which is used in holding the wood against the side of the former has a loop, N, formed on its end, and is longer than the wood, the groove L is made to catch in the loop, and then the handle is turned so as to force the hook I outward until it bears against the end of the wood, and thus forms an end-pressure for the wood while it is being bent. As a general thing, the bands will have a metallic plate, 0, secured to their ends, and these plates 0 will have their inner ends turned outward from the band, so that the hook I or one of the grooves J L can be made to engage therewith. These plates also have a hole, P, made through each one for the hook to catch in, so that the hook can be made to catch in the hole when the wood is considerably longer than the band. When the wood is longer than the band the hook is made to catch either behind the outturned end of the plate 0 or in the hole I, and then the portion Q of the part H bears against the end of the wood, so as to give the end-pressure. By means of this construction of the band and the operating-lever the wood can be bent as well when the band is not near as long as the wood as it can when the band is as long as or longer than the wood.

When the wood is to be bent almost into a circle, as for the arms of rocking-chairs, the hook is entirely unscrewed from the handle, then turned around so that its end will project over the flute J and again screwed into the handle. The flute J is then made to catch back of the ontturned end of the plate 0 or in the loop N,and the end then catches against the end of the piece of wood that is being bent, as shown in the last figure of the drawings.

Bythus having the lever made separate from the hands it will be seen that a single lever can be used to do all the bending that has to be done, instead of having a separate lever for each band. By making the hook adjustable upon the lever it can be almost instantly adapted to straps and pieces of wood of different lengths, and thus effect a great saving in time and material. After the bands have been used a short time they become very much stretched, and then wedges and blocks of wood have to be used to enable an end-pressure to be applied to the wood. As the wood must be quickly bent after it is taken from the hot water or steam,to prevent it from breaking or throwing out slivers, the time used in fitting wedges or blocks into place only gives the wood time to cool, and is thus more or less spoiled.

By the use of an adjustable bending-lever, as here shown, one set of bands will answer to bend different lengths of wood by simply turning the handle so as to move the hook in and out. When a scale is marked on one side of the hook it serves as a caliper for measuring the thickness of wood and other such articles. The workmen, catching hold of one of these levers after the piece of wood has been placed in the former, can exert a tremendous power upon the wood, and quickly and readily draw the piece of wood tightly against the outer side of the former, no matter what directions the curves of the former may take. After the piece of wood has been forced tightly against the outer side of the former, the metallic keeper R is made to catch over the outer side of the band,just at the end of the wood,and then by driving the wedge P in between the keeper and the band the wood can be clamped with any desired degree of force against the side of the former. After the wood has been bent into shape, a rod, S, or other suitable stop of wood or metal,which is made long enough to extend across the top of the former and the bent piece of wood, is applied to the wood, as shown-in Fig. 1, and secured thereto, either by set-screws V or any other suitable fastenings. This rod not only serves to assist in holding the wood in position while in the former, but, after the wedges, keepers, and the bands have been removed from against the side of the bent wood, the rod prevents the wood from unbending after it has been removed from the former. Where this rod is not applied to the wood, as soon as it is removed from the former it begins to unbend, and causes considerable trouble to get it into the shape required.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- A former, A, for bending wood, in combination with the strap or straps E, having the plate or plates 0 secured to their ends, and a removable and adj nstable hand-lever provided with a hook and shoulder, substantially as described, and which is adapted to pull upon or force against the plate in bending the wood, substantially as shown.

2. A hand-lever for bending wood, consisting of the handle G, the reversible screw-hook I, and the part H, substantially as shown.

3. A leverfor bending wood, oonsistin g of the handle G, the screw-hook I, and the part H, having one or more grooves or flutes, as J L, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination ofa band, E, for bending wood, provided with a plate, 0, having a hole, P, through it,with an adjustable handlever having a hook formed upon it to catch in the hole, and shoulder to bear against the piece of wood being bent, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of November, 1880.

EDWARD L. BUOKINGH A M.

Witnesses:

RICHARD HOE, CHARLES HANOVER. 

